What do newly released school performance grades mean for North Carolina schools?
For the first time since 2019, the N.C. Department of Public Instruction released performance grades for North Carolina schools on Thursday.
Student performance data have been used to assign performance grades to North Carolina public schools since the 2013-14 school year, according to NCDPI. Performance reporting requirements were waived by the U.S. Department of Education for the 2019-20 and 2020-21 school years due to school closures related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Here’s how school performance grades are calculated and what they are used for.
How are school performance grades calculated?
School performance grades are based 80% on each school’s achievement score and 20% on academic growth, according to NCDPI. The total school performance score is converted to a 100-point scale, and the final grades are based on a 15-point scale:
A: 85-100
B: 70-84
C: 55-69
D: 40-54
F: Less than 40
Performance grades for elementary and middle schools are calculated based on end of grade test scores and English language assessments for English learners, according to NCDPI. High school performance grades include indicators such as end of course test and ACT scores and four-year graduation rates.
What are school performance grades used for?
School performance grades are used to determine whether a school or district is low-performing, according to state law.
Low-performing schools are defined as schools that receive performance grades of D or F and who did not exceed their growth targets, according to the law. Districts classified as low-performing are those where the majority of schools are low-performing.
State law requires schools and districts identified as low-performing to develop a plan for improvement to boost student performance and notify parents of its status.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools says effective school improvement planning contributes to overall school performance by:
Establishing an understanding of a school’s current condition, including student achievement, school environment and administrative issues
Deciding which needs represent the highest priority for action based on how they will improve student performance
Identifying specific targets and milestones to address school priorities
Are school performance grades fair?
Supporters of the state’s school performance grade system say the evaluations encourage more targeted school improvement, but critics argue that the system favors schools in affluent areas, according to Public Schools First NC, a nonprofit that advocates for public education issues.
An analysis of NCDPI data from the 2018-2019 school year showed less than 40% of students were considered economically disadvantaged at most schools in the state that received an A grade. Nearly all schools that received an F grade topped the 40% number. The numbers show school performance grades “highlight systemic inequities that impact high poverty schools, rather than how effective those schools are at educating a vulnerable population of students,” the analysis says.
Performance grades aren’t tied to the amount of funding schools receive, but Public Schools First NC suggests more money should be allocated to low-performing schools, and that additional indicators, such as chronic absenteeism, should be used to calculate performance grades.
This story was originally published September 1, 2022 at 10:54 AM.
